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Internal dispute over Taliban succession hints at riftshttp://www.mail.com/news/world/3721636-internal-dispute-taliban-succession-hints-rifts.html
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The brother of Mullah Mohammad Omar on Sunday joined a growing chorus of opposition to the opaque selection of the late Taliban leader's successor, indicating widening rifts within the militant group as it weighs whether to revive peace talks or intensify its 14-year insurgency in Afghanistan.
As the leadership crisis deepened, t...Sun, 02 Aug 2015 18:39:00 GMThttp://www.mail.com/news/world/3721636-internal-dispute-taliban-succession-hints-rifts.html2015-08-02T18:39:00ZNew Afghan Taliban leader promises to continue insurgencyhttp://www.mail.com/news/world/3720660-afghan-taliban-leader-promises-to-continue-insurgency.html
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Political uncertainty inside the Taliban has cast doubt on the prospects for an end to the war in Afghanistan. On Saturday the Taliban's controversial new leader vowed to continue fighting while urging unity among his followers in a message aimed at preventing a split in the group between those who want peace and those who still believe they can win...Sun, 02 Aug 2015 04:17:00 GMThttp://www.mail.com/news/world/3720660-afghan-taliban-leader-promises-to-continue-insurgency.html2015-08-02T04:17:00ZAP News Guide: Death of Taliban leader roils Afghan politicshttp://www.mail.com/news/world/3721108-ap-news-guide-death-taliban-leader-roils-afghan-politics.html
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Afghan Taliban has confirmed the death of its reclusive longtime leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, after the Kabul government reported that he had been dead for more than two years. The move has led to a leadership crisis in the Taliban, as Mullah Omar's longtime deputy takes the helm over the objection of the former leader's relatives.
...Sat, 01 Aug 2015 18:54:00 GMThttp://www.mail.com/news/world/3721108-ap-news-guide-death-taliban-leader-roils-afghan-politics.html2015-08-01T18:54:00ZWhite House says former Taliban leader Mullah Omar is deadhttp://www.mail.com/news/politics/3720176-white-house-taliban-leader-mullah-omar-dead.html
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says U.S. intelligence agencies have determined that former Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar is dead, and says his demise "represents a chance for yet more progress on the path to a stable, secure Afghanistan."
Taliban officials on Thursday confirmed that Mullah Omar died more than two years ago and appointed his succe...Sat, 01 Aug 2015 00:37:00 GMThttp://www.mail.com/news/politics/3720176-white-house-taliban-leader-mullah-omar-dead.html2015-08-01T00:37:00ZAnalysis: Afghan govt hopes to divide and conquer Talibanhttp://www.mail.com/news/world/3719592-analysis-afghan-govt-hopes-to-divide-conquer-taliban.html
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The new leader of the Afghan Taliban faces the twin challenges of bringing together an insurgency that he ran for years under another man's name and uniting a fractured movement that has seen fighters desert for more extreme groups such as the Islamic State. Meanwhile the Afghan government believes it can seize on the Taliban leadership crisis it ha...Fri, 31 Jul 2015 19:15:00 GMThttp://www.mail.com/news/world/3719592-analysis-afghan-govt-hopes-to-divide-conquer-taliban.html2015-07-31T19:15:00ZAfghan Taliban praise new leader as rift in ranks appearshttp://www.mail.com/news/world/3718120-afghan-taliban-praise-leader-rift-ranks-appears.html
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The first signs of the deep fractures within the Afghan Taliban surfaced on Friday as the son of Mullah Mohammad Omar rejected the choice of his successor, just hours after the group issued a statement praising their new leader as one of the late chief's most "trusted" associates.
Mullah Yacoob, Mullah Omar's oldest son, said he ...Fri, 31 Jul 2015 18:17:00 GMThttp://www.mail.com/news/world/3718120-afghan-taliban-praise-leader-rift-ranks-appears.html2015-07-31T18:17:00ZBack to Beijing for 2nd Olympics in 14 yearshttp://www.mail.com/sports/other/3717998-to-beijing-2nd-olympics-14-years.html
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Throughout more than 120 years of Olympic history, no city has hosted both the winter and summer games. Now, Beijing will be the first do it — and in the span of just 14 years.
The Chinese capital was awarded the 2022 Winter Olympics on Friday, beating Kazakh rival Almaty 44-40 in a surprisingly close vote marred by technical...Fri, 31 Jul 2015 14:11:00 GMThttp://www.mail.com/sports/other/3717998-to-beijing-2nd-olympics-14-years.html2015-07-31T14:11:00ZUS judge rejects legal challenge from Guantanamo detaineehttp://www.mail.com/news/world/3717166-us-judge-rejects-legal-challenge-guantanamo-detainee.html
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday rejected a legal challenge from a Guantanamo Bay detainee who said his imprisonment was unlawful now that President Barack Obama has declared an end to hostilities in Afghanistan.
Muktar Yahya Najee al-Warafi, a Yemeni who was captured in Afghanistan, has been held since 2002 at the detention facility in Cuba ...Thu, 30 Jul 2015 21:38:00 GMThttp://www.mail.com/news/world/3717166-us-judge-rejects-legal-challenge-guantanamo-detainee.html2015-07-30T21:38:00ZUnusual terror case going to trial in US court in Virginiahttp://www.mail.com/news/politics/3715684-unusual-terror-case-going-to-trial-us-court-virginia.html
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Hundreds of terror suspects have been tried in federal courts since the 2001 attacks, but a case unfolding in Virginia differs from most in at least one key respect.
Irek Hamidullin was a combatant captured on the battlefield — not a financier, recruiter or schemer arrested outside the theater of war, like so many of the terrorist sus...Thu, 30 Jul 2015 21:08:00 GMThttp://www.mail.com/news/politics/3715684-unusual-terror-case-going-to-trial-us-court-virginia.html2015-07-30T21:08:00ZBeijing favorite in IOC vote for 2022 Winter Olympicshttp://www.mail.com/sports/other/3715664-beijing-favorite-ioc-vote-2022-winter-olympics.html
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — When it comes to votes on Olympic host cities, geopolitics can play a crucial role in determining the victor.
That's likely to be the case more than ever Friday when the International Olympic Committee chooses between Beijing and Almaty, Kazakhstan, for the 2022 Winter Games. It's a contest between China, the world's most pop...Thu, 30 Jul 2015 13:47:00 GMThttp://www.mail.com/sports/other/3715664-beijing-favorite-ioc-vote-2022-winter-olympics.html2015-07-30T13:47:00ZAfghan official: Drone strike kills 20 members of IS grouphttp://www.mail.com/news/world/3715830-afghan-official-drone-strike-kills-20-members-group.html
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan official says two separate drone strikes in an eastern province bordering Pakistan have killed 20 militants affiliated with the Islamic State group.
Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province, says the strikes took place late on Wednesday night. He says both took place in Haska Mina district ne...Thu, 30 Jul 2015 10:13:00 GMThttp://www.mail.com/news/world/3715830-afghan-official-drone-strike-kills-20-members-group.html2015-07-30T10:13:00ZAfghanistan says Taliban leader Mullah Omar died 2 years agohttp://www.mail.com/news/world/3713330-afghanistan-taliban-leader-mullah-omar-died-2-years-ago.html
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghanistan asserted Wednesday that the Taliban's reclusive leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, died more than two years ago in a Pakistani hospital — an announcement that injects new uncertainty into the country's fragile peace process.
If confirmed, the surprising news of the death of Mullah Omar would remove a unifying figure for th...Thu, 30 Jul 2015 01:18:00 GMThttp://www.mail.com/news/world/3713330-afghanistan-taliban-leader-mullah-omar-died-2-years-ago.html2015-07-30T01:18:00ZTaliban leader Mullah Omar, reclusive in life and deathhttp://www.mail.com/news/politics/3714520-taliban-leader-mullah-omar-reclusive-life-death.html
Mullah Mohammad Omar, the secretive head of the Taliban and an al-Qaida ally who led a bloody insurgency against U.S.-led forces, eluded capture for more than a decade in spite of being one of the most-hunted fugitives on Earth.
On Wednesday, he was reported to have died two years ago in a Pakistani hospital, according to the Afghan intelligence agency. I...Thu, 30 Jul 2015 01:18:00 GMThttp://www.mail.com/news/politics/3714520-taliban-leader-mullah-omar-reclusive-life-death.html2015-07-30T01:18:00ZSenate confirms Obama's pick for Joint Chiefs chairmanhttp://www.mail.com/news/politics/3715082-senate-confirms-obamas-pick-joint-chiefs-chairman.html
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Wednesday confirmed President Barack Obama's pick to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford Jr., who is currently commandant of the Marine Corps, is expected to take over Oct. 1 for Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, who will retire after a 41-year Army career. Dunford is a widely respected, comb...Wed, 29 Jul 2015 23:05:00 GMThttp://www.mail.com/news/politics/3715082-senate-confirms-obamas-pick-joint-chiefs-chairman.html2015-07-29T23:05:00ZStar athletes pitch for Beijing, Almaty ahead of 2022 votehttp://www.mail.com/sports/hockey/3713056-star-athletes-pitch-beijing-almaty-ahead-2022-vote.html
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Former NBA star Yao Ming and Sochi Olympic bronze medalist figure skater Denis Ten differ in height by exactly two feet. The towering basketballer is representing Beijing's bid for the 2022 Olympics, and the diminutive figure skater is boosting the bid from Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Size didn't factor into it Wednesday as both did ...Wed, 29 Jul 2015 06:52:00 GMThttp://www.mail.com/sports/hockey/3713056-star-athletes-pitch-beijing-almaty-ahead-2022-vote.html2015-07-29T06:52:00ZPakistan to host second round of Kabul-Taliban talkshttp://www.mail.com/news/world/3711244-pakistan-to-host-second-round-kabul-taliban-talks.html
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan is finalizing preparations to host the second round of landmark peace talks between Afghan government officials and the Taliban later this week, two Pakistani officials said Tuesday.
The talks are meant to find a way to end the 14-year war in Afghanistan, which has been a priority for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani since he took o...Tue, 28 Jul 2015 15:01:00 GMThttp://www.mail.com/news/world/3711244-pakistan-to-host-second-round-kabul-taliban-talks.html2015-07-28T15:01:00ZBeijing bid faces same old questions ahead of 2022 IOC votehttp://www.mail.com/sports/other/3710486-beijing-bid-faces-questions-ahead-2022-ioc-vote.html
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Two of China's most storied winter Olympic athletes faced tough questions about Beijing's bid for the 2022 Winter Games — namely about air pollution and a lack of snow.
Gold medalist figure skaters Shen Zue and Zhao Hongbo came out of retirement to win the pairs title in Vancouver in 2010, then retired again. The husband and ...Tue, 28 Jul 2015 14:52:00 GMThttp://www.mail.com/sports/other/3710486-beijing-bid-faces-questions-ahead-2022-ioc-vote.html2015-07-28T14:52:00ZAlmaty offers traditional winter setting in 2022 Olympic bidhttp://www.mail.com/sports/other/3710694-almaty-offers-traditional-winter-setting-2022-olympic-bid.html
ALMATY, Kazakhstan (AP) — Instead of grand talk about how the Olympics will break new ground by going to a majority-Muslim country for the first time, or by making their first visit to Central Asia, Almaty's bid for the 2022 Winter Games is about tradition.
After a backlash against Sochi's $50 billion Winter Olympic extravaganza last year, the onus is on ...Tue, 28 Jul 2015 08:48:00 GMThttp://www.mail.com/sports/other/3710694-almaty-offers-traditional-winter-setting-2022-olympic-bid.html2015-07-28T08:48:00ZKyrgyz president fumes over award to jailed journalisthttp://www.mail.com/news/world/3708728-kyrgyz-president-fumes-award-to-jailed-journalist.html
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (AP) — The president of Kyrgyzstan on Monday lambasted the United States for honoring a jailed Kyrgyz journalist.
The U.S. State Department earlier this month conferred a share of its annual Human Rights Defender award on Azimzhan Askarov, an ethnic Uzbek journalist and activist who is serving a life sentence in prison for stirring up ...Mon, 27 Jul 2015 11:30:00 GMThttp://www.mail.com/news/world/3708728-kyrgyz-president-fumes-award-to-jailed-journalist.html2015-07-27T11:30:00Z21 dead, 8 wounded in wedding gunfighthttp://www.mail.com/news/world/3708384-21-dead-8-wounded-wedding-gunfight.html
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A shootout at a wedding party in northern Afghanistan has left 21 people dead and eight wounded, an official said Monday.
Abdul Jabar Perdili, police chief of Baghlan province, said a gunfight broke out between two groups attending the wedding in Dih Salah district late Sunday. He said that most of the dead were wedding guests an...Mon, 27 Jul 2015 10:34:00 GMThttp://www.mail.com/news/world/3708384-21-dead-8-wounded-wedding-gunfight.html2015-07-27T10:34:00ZIn an Afghanistan awash in arms, a push to ban toy gunshttp://www.mail.com/news/world/3708446-afghanistan-awash-arms-push-to-ban-toy-guns.html
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The weapons of Afghanistan's long decades of war can be seen almost everywhere, from the burned-out hulks of Soviet tanks to the Kalashnikov assault rifles slung over policemen's shoulders and helicopter gunships roaring overhead.
It should be no surprise then that young children play "police and Taliban," chasing each other arou...Mon, 27 Jul 2015 09:25:00 GMThttp://www.mail.com/news/world/3708446-afghanistan-awash-arms-push-to-ban-toy-guns.html2015-07-27T09:25:00ZTaliban take remote Afghan police base after mass surrenderhttp://www.mail.com/news/world/3707196-taliban-take-remote-afghan-police-base-mass-surrender.html
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban took control of a large police base in a remote part of northeastern Afghanistan after some 100 police and border guards surrendered and joined the insurgents following three days of fighting, security officials said Sunday.
The loss of the Tirgaran base in Badakhshan province late Saturday marked the largest mass sur...Sun, 26 Jul 2015 14:48:00 GMThttp://www.mail.com/news/world/3707196-taliban-take-remote-afghan-police-base-mass-surrender.html2015-07-26T14:48:00ZBeijing faces Almaty in IOC vote for 2022 Winter Olympicshttp://www.mail.com/sports/other/3707330-beijing-faces-almaty-ioc-vote-2022-winter-olympics.html
The world's most populous nation against a new kid on the block. A global capital that hosted an Olympics just a few years ago against a city which many people may not be able to find on a map. A Chinese region with few big mountains and little natural snow against a former Soviet winter sports resort surrounded by towering peaks and plenty of real snow.
...Sun, 26 Jul 2015 13:32:00 GMThttp://www.mail.com/sports/other/3707330-beijing-faces-almaty-ioc-vote-2022-winter-olympics.html2015-07-26T13:32:00ZGolovkin, Lemieux to meet in 160-lb title unification bouthttp://www.mail.com/sports/other/3706890-golovkin-lemieux-to-meet-160-lb-title-unification-bout.html
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Gennady Golovkin will meet David Lemieux in a three-belt middleweight title unification bout Oct. 17 in New York.
Golovkin's promoter, Tom Loeffler, announced the matchup Saturday after lengthy negotiations. The 160-pound champions will headline an HBO pay-per-view telecast at Madison Square Garden. Golovkin (33-0, 30 KOs) holds the WBA...Sat, 25 Jul 2015 23:50:00 GMThttp://www.mail.com/sports/other/3706890-golovkin-lemieux-to-meet-160-lb-title-unification-bout.html2015-07-25T23:50:00ZCarter: US airstrike kills senior Al-Qaida commanderhttp://www.mail.com/news/us/3704004-carter-us-airstrike-kills-senior-al-qaida-commander.html
IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Friday that a U.S. airstrike recently killed a senior Al-Qaida operational commander in eastern Afghanistan.
The airstrike killed Abu Khalil Al-Sudani on July 11, Carter said in a brief statement given to reporters traveling with him in Iraq. Carter called Al-Sudani a senior shura member and head o...Fri, 24 Jul 2015 10:37:00 GMThttp://www.mail.com/news/us/3704004-carter-us-airstrike-kills-senior-al-qaida-commander.html2015-07-24T10:37:00ZNext round of Afghan-Taliban talks set for July 30 in Chinahttp://www.mail.com/news/world/3703974-round-afghan-taliban-talks-set-july-30-china.html
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The second round of official talks between representatives of the Kabul government and the Taliban, aimed at ending the 14-year war, will take place on July 30 in China, an Afghan official said Friday.
The two sides are still working out the details such as the list of attendants, which should be finalized in the coming days, sai...Fri, 24 Jul 2015 08:38:00 GMThttp://www.mail.com/news/world/3703974-round-afghan-taliban-talks-set-july-30-china.html2015-07-24T08:38:00ZRussian capsule docks with International Space Stationhttp://www.mail.com/scitech/news/3700952-russian-capsule-docks-with-international-space-station.html
BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan (AP) — A Soyuz space capsule carrying a Russian, an American and a Japanese docked smoothly Thursday with the International Space Station.
The capsule connected to the orbiting laboratory about 250 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth at 0245 GMT. The rocket had lifted off from a Russian manned launch facility in Kazakhstan about 5 hour...Thu, 23 Jul 2015 03:14:00 GMThttp://www.mail.com/scitech/news/3700952-russian-capsule-docks-with-international-space-station.html2015-07-23T03:14:00ZObama praises Afghan efforts to reconcile with Talibanhttp://www.mail.com/news/politics/3700696-obama-praises-afghan-efforts-to-reconcile-with-taliban.html
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has expressed support for Afghanistan's efforts to reconcile with the Taliban.
Obama spoke by video conference on Wednesday with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. The White House says Obama praised Ghani for promoting the peace process. The two leaders also spoke about U.S. efforts to advise and strengthen Afghanistan...Wed, 22 Jul 2015 19:44:00 GMThttp://www.mail.com/news/politics/3700696-obama-praises-afghan-efforts-to-reconcile-with-taliban.html2015-07-22T19:44:00Z